Means for opening metal receptacles



(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. Y

I. O. BUSOH. MEANS FOR OPENING METAL RBGBPTAGLES.

No. 526,435. Patented Sept. 25, 1894.

I mum (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

F. O. BUSGHP MEANS FOR OPENING METAL REGBPTAGLES.

Patented Sept. 25, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIGE.

FREDERIC O. BUSCH, OF 'NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO GUSTAVUS A. WAEBER, OF SAME PLACE, AND FREDERIO REISET, OF KATONAH,

NEW YORK.

MEANS'FOR OPENING METAL RECEPTACLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 526,435, dated September 25, 1894. Application filed June 8, 1894. Serial No- 513859. (No model.)

To all whom. itmay concern.-

Be it known that I, FRnnnRIoC. Boson, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Means for Opening Metal Receptacles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a novel means or method of opening metal receptacles such as cans, boxes, and the like, usually constructed of tin, and designed to contain edibles of various kinds, as "small fish, fruits, vegetables, 50., the cans. being hermetically sealed in order to efiectually preserve the contents,

whatever they may be. There'have been many and various contrivances and methods devised for the purpose of providing ready and efiectual means or methods of opening such hermetically sealed receptacles, and in particular instances some of such methods andmeans are efiectual in their way. I have, however, invented -or discovered a method by which any such receptacle of :whatever shape, Whether rectangular, circular or other shape, may be readily, conveniently, easily and-efiectually opened, and too according to a predetermined plan; that is to say, the opening will be in predetermined lines, and in the accompanying drawings I have illustrated embodiments of my invention, in which-- Figure l is a top or plan view of a rectangular-shaped box with rounded corners,"(or the cover thereof) as shown, such as are used for packing sardines. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the box shown in Fig. 1 taken through that'shown inFig. 4-illustratin'ga modifica-V I line m-a: of that figure. Fig. 3 is a viewof the box'or cover shownin Figs. 1 and 2 partially "opened, according to my invention.

Fig. 4 is a viewof a round box or receptacle the cover unmarked or uncut,so that when or the cover therefor. Fig. 5.is a view of a box or cover like that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrating a modification of my invention; and Fig. Gijs aview of a 'box or cover like tion of my invention asapplied to round boxes or covers.

Referring first to Figs. lto 4 inclusive, it willi'be seenthatthe receptacle is made up of a body piece A and a bottom piece B so cured to the body or side piece A, inthe manner shown, (see Fig. 2) the edges of the bot tom piece B being turned up against the side or body piece A, and secured thereto by sol- .der or other cement. In like manner the coverO is secured to. the top of the'box or receptacle, its edges being turned down upon the side or body piece A and fastened thereto by sold er or othersuitable cement. The cover is constructed with the bead or raised portion 1), as is uspal in such boxes.

In order to open the receptacle, or in other words, to provide away by which the receptacle may beopened, an opening line E is marked or cut on the cover 0 extending entirely around or substantially or nearly entirelyaround,and of the sides or outside edge or edges of the box, and in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, another opening line F is marked upon the surface of the cover commencing at any suitable or convenient point thereof, connecting therewith or close to the other opening line as shown at G in Figs. 1 and 3, and this opening line F may continue parallel with the opening line E for a slight distance or preferably gradually diverging from thatpoint and running a desired distance assh'own in. Figsul' and 3, in which figures the opening line F diverges from the point G to a point past the middle of the box or receptacle and terminates at apoint between the middle and the opposite side. wThese opening lines are marked upon the one side or the other'of thecoverlby a cut-' ting tool, creaser or punch, and in the process of opening the box in the manner hereinafter explained .the openingwill be in or follow the lines of the cut or creased portions, as shown in Fig. 3.

It is preferred to leave a portion as H of the'other portion of thecover is torn away, this portion H will remain and act as a hinge 1 upon which the cover can be lifted or turned up and-down in covering and uncovering the contents again, if desired.

The space between the opening lines Fand E at their starting points is wholly cut through at I, and atongue or key J is passed through that opening fitting accurately therein, and in the-drawings this tongue or key or opening device consists of apiece or strip of tin or similar sheet metal, one end of which a being on the under side of the cover and the other end 1) extending over thecover, solder being used to securely fasten this strip to the cover on both the outside and the inside and at the same time eifectually close the slit 'in to the cover to prevent access of air to the inside of the box. As will be understood the tongue J may be made continuous with the body of the box instcadof a separate piece or strip. In the drawings'I have also shown a device or key K'which is intended to be attached, if desired, to the free end of the' strip or tongue J, around which key the strip J will be first wound in the commencement of the.

operation to open the box. As of course will be understood other constructions or characon in ter of keys or devices may be attached or applied to the free end of the strip J than the construction of key or device K, whatever device being used, the strip will be wound therethe first commencement of opening this box. Again instead of fitting into the slit I a strip J, a key or other opening device may be fastened directly to the portion of the cover between the opening lines'E and F, by rivet- 0 ing, soldering or other fastening means at the point I, so as to securely close, and seal that point, and the operation of opening the box will be the same.

Heretofore in opening sheet metal recepta- 5 cles a strip has been cut out of the surface of the cover near the outside edge or sides, and the interior portion-of the cover will thus be separated from this strip, but by ny invention the whole surface of the cover is torn or 40 cut away in the one operation, and becomes 5 being in tion is continued and the key further turned,

the solder or seal at I will be ruptured and then will begin the process of tearing oi the.

cover, and the cut-off portion, as L, will become wound upon the end of the key, and

when the tearing has reached a point in the opening line E near the edge of the box, nearly opposite the point M, which is'tho ending of the opening line F, the portion L will be wound upon the end of the key as shown in Fig. 3 and become a continuation of that key, and then as the operation of turning is continued, the as yet unsevered portion N of the cover will then be wound upon itself from side to side, or from the openingline F to the opening lineE at the other side of the box,

and'thus the entirecover will be wrapped or rolled up and torn from the body of the box except the portion H which has not at all been marked, and as before stated will then operate as a hinge to enable the cover to be unrolled and laid over again in place upon the box to partially cover the contents or the interior. This operation as described with reference to Fig. 3 will be substantially the same if employed to open the round box shown in Fig. 4, and-will be the same no matter what kind of a key is used attached to the narrow portion intervening between the opening lines F and E at the point I, as will be readily understood. It is a great advantage that the portion first to be severed is narrow, as shown in the drawings, because the narrower the portion between the opening lines, the greater will be the ease by which the tearing can be started, and where the entire body of a cover is wound or wrapped up, forming really a. part of the opening device greater leverage is obtained in tearing off the portion of the cover intended to be torn 0E.

Besides in my invention a short key or opening device is only required because the material as stated becomes wound upon itself and upon the shank of the key, and after the tearing has reached a point in the opening line E nearly opposite the pointM, and the tearing is continued, the cover will only have to be severed from this point on, along the remaining portion of the opening line E, which is very easily accomplished, especially as there will be a-great bulk of metal wrapped on the key which will give great leverage, as before referred to.

The foregoing description has related more particularly to the constructions shown in Figs. 1 to t inclusive, but the same advantages heretofore stated as ensuing from the use ofthe means or method shown in those figures for opening metal receptacles, are attained in the use of the analogous means or methods employed now to be described in connection with Figs. 5 and 6, in which the opening line E runs around or substantially around the box in proximity with the edge as before described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4, and there is another opening line F which commences at any convenient point close to or connected with the opening line E, and which gradually diverges inwardly therefrom, and runs in such gradual divergence to a point as N slightly past the middle of the cover, thence there is another opening line F which commencing at such point gradually diverges from the opening line F to a point between the opening line F and the opening line E; or to state it differently the two opening lines F and F may commence at any suitable point, as N, on the surface of the cover and gradually diverging from each other, one of said opening lines F runs'from its starting point N to or so as to connect with the opening line E, and the other of said opening lines F runs in gradual divergence any desired distance and in any desired direction to a point past the middle of the As will be seen in Figs. 5 and 6 the two openinglines F and F do not meet at the point N but there is a slight spacebetween them, which space is weakened, and at this point N is secured by solderor other means an opening ring or other opening device P, the ring P being secured to the space between the opening lines F and F',-and to open the receptacle it is only necessary to lift the ring from the surface of the cover, place the finger or other device through the ring, andpull the ring upward, whereby the weakened portion between the opening lines F and Ff will be severed and the cover drawn or lifted out along the opening lines marked upon the face of the cover, as will be fully understood from Fig. 3. l

Asjust stated, other opening devices than the ring P may be attached to the cover at the point N, within the spirit of this invention,

and the whole orany predetermined portion of the cover may be easily and eEect-ually removed on the lines marked upon the cover as hereinabove described in connection with Figsfl to 4.

Of course the invention herein described and claimed may be applied to the sides of the can or receptacle instead of to the cover and the sides torn out just as readily and en fectually as when the coveris operated upon.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A metal receptacle having an opening line running around the receptacle in proximity with the edge or sides of the receptacle, and another opening line commencing at any convenient point close to or connected with the other opening line, and gradually diverging therefrom for a suitable distance,-substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A metal receptacle provided with a cover having an opening line running around the receptacle in proximity with the edge or sides of the receptacle, and another opening line commencing at any convenient point close to or connected with the other opening line and gradually diverging therefrom and running in such gradual divergence to a point past the middle of the cover and terminating'ata point between the middle and the edge of the" receptacle or cover, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. Ametal receptacle provided with a cover having an opening line extending around the cover in proximity to its edge, and -an-' other opening line, commencing at anyconvenient point close to or connected with-the other line and gradually diverging therefrom so that a gradually widening strip is included between such lines, said strip being of such length that i-ts'edges may be separated from theremainder of the cover and maybe wound around a suitable key oropening device adapted to be attached to said strip at its narrow pointor portion for a distanceapproximating one-half of the periphery of the cover, substantially asset forth.

having an opening line runningaround the receptacle in proximity with the edge or sides of the receptacle, and another opening line commencing at any convenientpoint close toor connected with the other opening line and gradually diverging inwardlytherefrom for a suitable distance, substantially as and for the purpose set'forth.

5. A metal receptacle having an opening line running around the receptacle in. proximity with the edge or sides of the receptacle and another opening line commencing at any convenient point close to or connected-with the other opening line and gradually diverging therefrom for a suitable distance, and a key or opening device connected with said receptacle at the point where said opening lines converge, substantially as set forth.

6. A metal receptacle provided with a cover having an opening line running around the receptacle in proximity with the edge or sides of the receptacle, of another opening line commencing at any convenient pointclose to or connected with the opening line that runs in proximity with the edge or sides of the receptacle and gradually diverging therefrom and running, in such gradual divergence to apoint past the middle of the cover, and an other opening line commencing at such point.

which'runs'in proximity .with the e'dgefsue' stantially as set forth.

4. A metal receptacle provided with a cover 7. A nietal receptacle provided witha cover having an opening line running around the face of said cover and gradually diverging from each other, one of said lines running from its starting point close to orso as to connect with the opening] line that runs aroundthe surface of the cover in proximity to the edge, to any convenient point thereof, and the other of said opening lines running in such gradual divergence any desired distance to a point past the middle of the cover and terminating at a point between the middle and the edge or side of the receptacle, substantially as set forth.

.8. A metal receptacle provided with a cover having an opening. line running around the receptacle in proximity to the edge or sides of the receptacle and two other opening lines commencing at any suitable point on the surfacev of said cover and gradually diverging from each other, oneof said lines running from its starting pointclose to or so as to c0nnect with the opening line that runs around the surface of the cover in proximity to the edge, to any convenient point thereof, and the other of said opening lines running in such gradual divergence any desireddistance This specification signed and witnessed to a, point past the middle of the cover and this 16th day of April, 1894. terminating at a point between the middle and the edge or side of the receptacle, and a FREDERIO O. BUSCH. key or opening device connected with said Witnesses: t cover at the meeting point of the said two ALFR. W. KIDDLE,

opening lines, substantially as set forth. M. GIBSON. 

